27 March 2010

Every now and then, our clan has a family slumber party. When the kids were younger, it was pretty basic - pizza for dinner, movie, fun treat, sleep downstairs. After a few years, Hero and I gave up actually sleeping in the basement, and went to bed after the kids fell asleep. Last year's party was especially lame - We fell asleep during the movie, and then went to bed.

This was the year to redeem ourselves. We put the event on the calendar and nothing bumped it - and we all looked forward to the blowout!

Everyone had a part in the planning:

Hero - Dinner - Chinese - Yum

Liam - Games - Cute and Fun

Brenden - Movie Selection - Wallace and Grommett

Colin - Bowling - Tried for Midnight, went at 11:30pm

Lauren - Karaoke - The Next American Idol May Be a Murphy

David - Ping Pong - Around the World

Mom - Treats, DDR, General Making it Happen - Just Doing My Job

Dinner was fabulous - Our favorite Chinese place is Ten Yen - They have the best Almond Chicken and Chicken Fried Rice. Accompanied by chocolate milk (in the jug, not mixed) and Faygo Rock & Rye and Cream Soda, it was the perfect meal - can fill up on it, and be hungry in a little while for treats!

Brenden and Mom actually on the mats, Colin practicing in the background. We got a new Dance Dance Revolution Game from the library. Great having new songs. What a workout! Brenden is a natural at this, and pretty much had the high score for the evening.

With all the practicing, Colin really had the advantage over Hero. Ok, so maybe it was not the practicing. Hero does so many things so well, but DDR is not one of them. Notice that Colin is actually focusing and moving. Hero, not so much. He is busy laughing and waiting to jump in, jumping being the operative word as he did a lot of that, hoping to get something correct on the screen!

Liam was in charge of games. First we had a treasure hunt, which had us going up and down stairs and searching high and low for clues. In the end, we found the treasure (Twizzlers) out of order of the clues as we stumbled onto them. Delish and fun hunt.

The next game was a paper maze that Liam learned at school. Had to start at one end and get to the other in order that we learned by trial and error. Um, tricky. But fun. Good game!

Ping Pong Around the World. Everyone plays by running around the table and taking turns hitting the ball. If you miss, you are out (after one freebie). The last two play regular, except when they hit the ball, they spin. Colin and David were usually the last two, although most of us got there at least once.

Singing in a Box. Liam started us off with "Don't You Forget About Me", a classic 80's song. We all took a turn, some a little more dramatic than others. Not everyone sat in the box.

After the performances, we made Pioneer Scones, deep fried bread dough, with butter, honey and cinnamon & sugar. Oh, yeah. They were yum.

Bowling next. (Forgot to bring the camera). There are no natural bowlers in our family. I think the high score hovered around 100ish, and that was David. Colin and I tied for last at 65. Did I mention we went in our pajamas? Interesting going to a bowling alley that late at night - almost like a bar scene. And people really get into their bowling. Us, not so much. We get into fun.

Back home, it was time to take things down a bit. Mattresses came out, tons of blankets piled on and everyone got comfy. Not sure if anyone made it through the movie, maybe Colin. Everyone else passed out within 30 minutes. And actually slept all night together.

We kept the magic going the next day with Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast, but reality soon set in. There were jobs to go to, chores to do, commitments to keep. The 2010 Murphy Slumber Party had to come to an end. Too bad.

I hate when time is gone and I did not make the most of it. Sometimes that is just the way it is, but lots of time, it is because I did not try. I am so grateful that with this opportunity, we made it great. We all looked forward to it, we all loved it and we were all sad to have it end. I love that my family likes to do be together. I completely understand - I love being with them, too.

10 March 2010

I checked the official website (dayofawesomeness.com), and discovered this day was founded in 2007 as kind of a joke. Their tag line is, "No one's perfect, but everyone can be awesome." They sound like good guys, ran with an idea and made it happen. Awesome!

Inspiring awe, showing or characterizing awe, very impressive. These are the definitions on dictionary.com. I like to say awesome, but I guess I do not always mean it. Here's the thing - I always want to look for good and then when I find it, I am glad about it. Maybe I am just impressed by all the goodness around me!